Mail-bag receiving and delivering apparatus



C. W. PIERCE.

MAIL" BAG RECEIVING AND DELIVERING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED IIiAYIQ. 1911.

1,321,327. I Patented Nov. 11, 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

G 1 \NI S S S *3 3 I INVENTOH A WIT w Cizw'fislmrce ATTORNEY C. W. PIERCE.

MAIL BAG RECEIVING AND DELIVERING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 19. 1917.

1,32 1 ,3 27 Patented Nov. 11, 1919.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

INVENTOFI (Zaz'les 11 2 2006.

WITNESSES ATTORNEY UNITED STATES PATENT oEEIo oHARLEs w. PIERCE, or HARTF RD CITY, IND IAN A a MAIL-BAG REoEIvINe AND DELIVERING APPAR TUS.

j" Specificationof Letters Patent. Patented Nov. 11,1919.

Application filed May 19, 1917. Serial at. 169,730.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES W. PI RoE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Hartford City, in the county of Blackford and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mail-Bag Receiving and Delivering. Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

This invention is a mail bag receiving and delivering apparatus and has for its principal object the production of a device which is adapted to be carried upon arailway car adjacent the door opening whereby bags of mail may be delivered from and received by the device. Another object of this invention is the production of a mail bag receiving and delivering apparatus which includes a movable frame carried at the door opening of a'railway car, thus permitting the device to be retracted into the interior of'the car when desired, although when a bag of mail is to be delivered therefrom and another bag received thereby, the frame may be swung to project the delivering and receiving members beyond the outer portion of the car.

A still further object of this invention is the production of a mail bag receiving and delivering apparatus, which includes a pair of gripping members carried upon the movable frame, each gripping member comprising a fixed jaw and a movable jaw together with means for forcing the movable jaw toward the fixed jaw.

One practical form of construction and assembly of the present invention will be hereinafter described and is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a fragmentary top plan view of a railway car, the gripping members be ing shown in top plan and illustrating how the same project beyond the outer portions of the car. 7

Fig. 2 isa section taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary interior view of a railway car, showingtlie receiving and delivering apparatus in condition for-use and illustrating a rear elevation thereof.

In the preferred embodlment of the present invention about to be described, for the purpose of illustration, a railway car of any conventional form is disclosed fragmentarily at 5 and has a door opening 6 provided with the usual j ambs 7 and 8.

The frame of the mail bag receiving and delivering apparatus comprises vertically extending end beams 9 and 10 to whichthe.

ends of the upper and lower horizontally extending beams 11 and 12 are secured in any desired manner. Thus a substantially rectangular frame is provided and it should be -understood that it is to be of a substantially rigid construction. Hinges 13 are secured to the jamb 7 and also to the vertical end beam 9 and the upper horizontal beam 11 as illustrated in Fig. 3'thus hingedly supporting the frame upon the jamb 7'. v Accordingly when the device is notvto be used it may be swung to the interior of the car 5 and therefore will not'obstruct the door opening 6. However, when swung to an operative posltion the frame w1ll extend transversely across the door opening 6 as shown in Figs. 2 and 3 and then the latch 14' car-- ried bythe end beam 10 may be moved into engagement with a keeper 15 thus releasably holding the frame in a setpositionh The receiving member comprises an elongated fixed jaw 16 having a body 17 at its rear endextendinginwardly at right angles thereto as shown in Fig. 1. This body 17 is fixed upon the lower horizontal beam 12 of the frame and is reinforced by the brace 18 connectedthereto in any desired manner which is also connected to the lower beam 12. By referring to the several figures of the drawing it will be noted that the receiv- A ing member is carried adjacent one endof the frame, while the delivering member is carried adjacent the opposite end of the frame. The body 17 of the fixed jaw 16 is reinforced byahook 19, this hook'19. being secured as indicated at 20 to the upper beam 11 of the frame and being connected by the eye 21 to the body 17.

The movable jaw'22'is not as long as the fixedv jaw 16. A coiled spring 23 is con- 'nected'to the inner end ofthe movable jaw 22 and is also connected to the body 17. A bowed leaf spring21 is fixed to the jaw 16 and to'the mova-ble jaw 22 and the springs 23 and 24 tend to force the movable jaw to:

ward the fixed jaw. However, when the will be thrown from the notch 25 and then the coiled spring 23 will swing the movable jaw toward the fixed jaw, thus causing the mail bag to be held between the fixed aw and the movable jaw.

The delivering member comprises a fixed jaw, 26 which extends from a point inter mediate the ends of the body 27, this body 27 extending at right angles thereto as shown in Fig. l. The inner end of the body 27 is fixed upon the upper horizontal bar 11 of the supporting frame and is reinforced by the diagonally extending brace 28 connected thereto and also secured to the horizontal beam 11. This delivering member is also steadied by a hook :29, this hook being secured to the car 5 as shown at 30, while the opposite end thereof is connected by the eye 31 to the body 27.

A bowed leaf spring 32 is mounted upon the fixed jaw 26, while the elongated movable jaw 33 is carried by the opposite end of the spring 32. A coiled spring 3% is connected to the inner end of the movable jaw 33 and to the body 27 as shown in Fig. 1. It will be noted that the movable jaw 33 of the delivering member is carried upon the outer side of the fixed jaw, while the movable jaw 22 of the receiving member is carried upon the inner side of the fixed jaw. It will therefore be noted that the movable jaw 33 of the delivering member will be normally forced toward the fixed jaw, although when the device is in position for operation, a mail bag may be carried be" tween the fixed jaw 26 and the movable aw 33 as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1.

lVhen the device is to be used it may be swung to extend into the interior of the car 5 and then the operator may deposit a mail bag between the jaws 26 and 33 of the delivering member. He may then swing the movable jaw 22 of the receiving member away from the fixed jaw 16 whereby the inner end of the movable jaw may be inserted into the notch 25, thus causing a movablejaw to be held in a set position. The frame may then be swung to extend across the door opening 6 and latched in this position whereupon the receiving and delivering members will'project beyond the outer portions of the car 5 as shown in Fig. 1. Then a mail bag is deposited between the jaws 16 and 22 of the receiving member, the movable aw will be knocked from the notch 25 and will be swung to grip the mail bag to hold the same upon the fixed and movable jaws of the receiving member. Then the Copies of this patent may be obtained for mail bag may be pulled from between the movable and fixed jaws of the delivering member, whereupon the movable jaw 33 will engage the fixed jaw 26. The frame may then be swung into the interior of the car to allow the mail bag to be removed from between the aws l6 and 22 of the receiving member and the device will then be in position for another operation. Any form of a station member may be employed for receiving and delivering bags of mail and it is not deemed necessary to illustrate such a structure in the disclosure of the present invention which relates specifically to the construction of the device carried by the railway car.

As only one particular form of the present invention has been herein illustrated and described it is obvious that minor changes may be made in the construction thereof without departing from the spirit of the invention as long as such changes do not ex ceed the scope of the invention as claimed.

.lVhat is claimed is:

1. In a device of the class described, the combination of a supporting frame, gripping members carried by said frame, each gripping member comprising av fixed jaw having a body extending at right angles thereto, and fixed upon said frame, means for reinforcing said body, a movable jaw, a coil spring connected to the inner end of the movable jaw and to said body, a bowed leaf spring connected to the fixed jaw and to the movable jaw, whereby the movable jaw is urged toward the fixed jaw.

In a device of the class described, the combination of a supporting frame, a gripping member comprising a fixed aw having body extending at right angles thereto and connected to said frame, means for reinforcing said body, said fixed jaw having a notch therein, a movable jaw, a bowed leaf spring connected to the fixed aw and to the movable jaw, a coil spring connected to said body and to the inner end of the movable jaw, whereby the movable jaw may fit within said notch to be held in a set position, although when the inner end is knocked from said notch said springs will swing the movable jaw toward the fixed aw.

"In testimony wherof l aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CHAR-LES V. PIERCE.

Witnesses RAYMOND A. JoNEs, LEE F. SPRAGUE.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

